Backs against the wall is one of the ultimate sports clichés, but the phrase turned literal for the Belmont High School football team Thursday night at Harris Field.
As the clock ticked down under five seconds remaining in regulation, Arlington Catholic moved into formation less than two yards from the end zone. The Marauders’ defensive line stuffed the opposition’s running back before the goal line, sealing a 20-14 victory in the season opener before a spirited crowd.
“Life on the line, honestly,” said junior Tre Clark, who helped lead the gang tackle in the waning moments. “Any person in the other color, just hit them as hard as you can. This is so important to us, I can’t even express it in words. It’s a great feeling.”
For the first time in 662 days, Marauders football prevailed. The win snaps a 12-game skid dating back to Thanksgiving Day of 2024. It’s also a memorable start to the Chad Foster era.
Foster took over as coach this year.
“We all had hopes that we were going to win this,” said senior running back/defensive back Damir Neal, who rushed for two touchdowns. “We had the mentality and the mindset… we just went out there and did it.”
Neal picked up 40 yards on seven carries. Classmate and fellow captain Patrick MacKinnon collected 97 yards on 15 carries. Junior Shane Heuisler hauled in numerous passes from sophomore quarterback Ronan Kelleher, and the entire Belmont defensive line held Arlington Catholic’s offense in check.
After a scoreless opening quarter, Arlington Catholic got on the board first with a two-yard rushing touchdown. The Marauders blocked the extra-point attempt.
Belmont responded with a scoring drive, set up by Davi Sobrinho’s long kickoff return to the Arlington Catholic 37-yard line. Neal ripped off a pair of runs for a first down, and MacKinnon followed with a 12-yard reception and 9-yard rush to set up a Neal 5-yard touchdown run. Kelleher missed the extra-point attempt.
The Cougars scored again before halftime on a 35-yard pass and added a two-point conversion. Even though the Marauders trailed at halftime, spirits ran high. And as the team celebrated after the game, the student section, all in white, chanted “we love Foster.” Players and parents expressed similar sentiments. Clark talked about the coaching staff’s tight and efficient scheduling, standout communication and inclusive culture for players from all classes.
“One of the things you can worry about when you try to build that culture is if you’re on the cusp but can’t get over the hump,” Foster said. “These kids dug their feet in the turf and got over the hump tonight.”
Friends of Belmont Football President Bruce MacKinnon, the father of senior captain running back/linebacker Patrick MacKinnon, said parents across the board speak highly of the new staff.
“The respect is back for the game of football, the team and the coaches,” Bruce MacKinnon said. “Regardless of the outcomes of the games, you can just tell this is a different team.”
Matt Killeen, whose son, Tommy, is a freshman running back/linebacker mostly playing junior varsity, said the new staff has “really flipped the attitude” around the program.
“I don’t think there’s been a practice where my son hasn’t come home in a good mood,” Matt Killeen said.
For Foster, who spent nearly a decade on the other side of the Thanksgiving rivalry at Watertown, winning his first game as a varsity head coach represents the first step in the rebuild of a program in flux.
During the preseason, the team’s seniors spoke openly about the state of the program. Following a winless season, a single victory would mark progress, but it’s more important, they said, to help build the foundation for future success.
“I kind of always said a job like this would be the dream job, because if you win one game you’re a hero,” Foster said. “Now that we’ve won that, it’s about establishing the mindset that this isn’t the only one. We’ve got to keep going.”
Kelleher rushed a quarterback keeper in for a touchdown in the third, and Neal scampered in from one yard out in the fourth. The Marauders held Arlington Catholic on the final defensive stand as the clock ran out. Clark thought the Cougars might try an outside run for the final play, but they pounded it up the middle. As the Marauders had done all game, they stuffed it.
“I saw the clock hit zero,” Clark said, “and I was going crazy.”
Consider the former accomplished, with a need to shift the goalposts. The latter, in progress.
As the team gathered for a postgame chat, one player’s voice rose above the rest.
“This is the start of something new, boys!” he yelled.
